A Legend Retold
by Dovahkiir2015
Summary: Let's keep this brief. OoT, but with a couple of girls who don't like the ending (a human and a hylian who isn't what you would call normal). So things get messed up... time is rewritten, and a horror that wasn't meant to exist is born. The world, once seeming so peaceful, is now worse than it once was, worse than it was meant to become. Lesson? Don't mess with time.
1. Chapter 1

Nothing moved in the lightless, cold castle town. No one made a sound, a sense of foreboding in the air. The guards around the castle felt this, but it was their job to keep watch. They would not leave their posts, despite their quivering knees and their hands shaking so much their spears almost rattled. That was when the thundering of hooves rung out through the still night air, a black stallion with red-orange mane and tail charging through the streets. A tall man with golden eyes and hair the colour of flame jumped off the horse at the entrance to the castle, lifting his head to look up at the castle before him. The low rumble of thunder echoed around them, but the man didn't seem to notice at all, simply resting one hand on the neck of his horse.

"I've been expected." Was all he said to the nearest guard, who jumped at his voice, which was low and imposing, not unlike the thunder that had sounded just before.

"Um...Y-yes sir... or course." The guard forced out, motioning for one of his comrades to take the horse to the stables while he lead the man into the castle. The young man knew how much fear he caused. He'd gotten used to it since his first arrival in Hyrule. That didn't mean he had to like it, per say, though it did have its uses. For a moment he watched his horse being taken away, then glanced back down the trail a bit. His nod was barely detectable, but it did it's job, then he followed the guard inside.

* * *

The girl he nodded to stepped back into the shadows, completely vanishing from view. Not that she had been very visible before, but now it was like she had never been there at all. She slowly made her way over to the castle, pausing at the sight of some stupid man standing before her way inside. She scowled, reaching behind her and grabbing a small flask along with a scrap of cloth. Slowly, so as not to draw attention to herself, she poured a bit of the liquid on the cloth, replacing the flask where it was meant to be, then snuck up behind him, covering his mouth and nose with the cloth before letting him fall to the ground.

 _Idiot._

She kept going, slipping into the castle and locking the door behind her. She'd find another way out. She was reasonably certain that the nice big tower would be a good place to jump from. A smirk slipped onto her lips. Well... there was one person she was certain would love to go flying out a window from there. Just picturing it now, the fat man with his arms flailing as he fell, was more wonderful than she could describe. She shook her head, still walking. Her boss had gotten her so mucked up in the head if she thought that it was fun to throw fat kings out the top of the highest tower in the castle. Her ears flicked back and she only just managed to dodge as a strange girl with round ears, long dark brown hair and... glasses... charged at her, a scowl essentially engraved on her face.

"What happened? Wind changed and your face stuck?" The would-be assassin taunted, turning so she had a clean getaway if she needed it.

"Sure, but what's your excuse?" She smirked, pointing her sword at the assassin, who chuckled.

"A talker, huh? Nice."

"That's not an answer."

"I like making kids scream and run away. Means I don't have to deal with them." The assassin pulled out her own sword, not even looking like she was getting into a position to fight off her attacker. The brunette leaned her head to one side, smiling awkwardly.

"So what's your name, then?" The assassin asked, perfectly politely.

"What's yours?"

"Tsk tsk," The assassin shook her head, "I asked you first. It's only fair you answer first."

"Ren, Renita... take your pick."

"Nice to meet you, Renita. Now, if you don't mind, I have a king to kill." The assassin bowed, rather extravagantly, then turned to leave. Ren's scowl returned and she slashed at the assassin, having her blow blocked almost too easily. The assassin didn't move, then slowly turned to face her, her face blank.

"And we were having such a good conversation."

"You never told me your name, I couldn't let you leave without that little tidbit, now could I?"

"Many people now me by many different names. They just don't know that they're all for me. I am a shadow, the Queen of Death, a child, and many more things beside. I am doom. And this speech is getting very annoying. Could you just hurry up already?" Now she looked past Ren at someone the brunette hadn't noticed coming up behind her. Next thing she knew she was being swung around and thrown into a nearby room, her glasses sliding off her nose.

"What?! Hey!" She yelled, hitting the door, struggling to find the handle with her now severely limited sight, "Let me the hell outta here!" The assassin thought for a moment, watching the door.

"Did you have to take her glasses?" She asked the tall red-haired man towering beside her.

"They're safer with me, I suspect. Besides, it means that she isn't about to go anywhere." He neatly slipped the glasses into a pocket, along with the key to the room that Ren was locked it. The assassin shrugged.

"Whatever. I have a job to do."

"Ralia – "

"Don't call me that. Besides," The assassin turned to look back at him, "You have to make sure your alibi is fool proof, and the goddesses damn it, these people are all fools."

"Just be careful."

"He's a half wit king who I should hope by now is sufficiently drugged so he won't be able to do a bloody thing. I've dealt with more troublesome people than him." Then she was gone, leaving behind a girl hitting the door so hard she would get splinters in her hands, and an over-sized red head who looked surprisingly concerned before he walked off down the hall to find someone so he could have an air-tight alibi.

* * *

The kingdom was mourning the loss of their king... or most of it was. There were a few that celebrated thee occasion. This was the start of something that would hopefully end the way they wanted it to. Ganondorf looked out over the kingdom from his room in the castle, his face blank. He hadn't seen Ralia for ages, evidently she had managed to escape cleanly. Not that he doubted she would – he had trained her himself, but her skills as an assassin far exceeded his own. And was smart. She just played dumb. It got on his nerves a bit, actually. Slowly he turned away from the window. He would have to return to the desert soon. With any luck he would meet the young red-head hylian there, though somehow he had his doubts. The girl Ren had already stumbled away, somehow managing to find her way around reasonably well despite being essentially blind without her glasses. He wondered where she had gone. She had shown skill with that sword of hers. It was a shame she had worked for someone like the King of Hyrule. Perhaps there was a way for him to corrupt her. That was if he could find her again. Ganondorf shook his head. Why should he worry about some brunette with little to no eyesight? Right now he was supposed to be concentrating on returning to the desert. That was his primary objective.

* * *

The assassin, or Ralia, as Ganondorf had called her, was indeed back at the Gerudo Fortress. She wandered it aimlessly, nothing better to do except for trying to stay away from her brother's mums. They sometimes got on her nerves a bit, but only because they seemed to care so much. She pushed her long, red hair behind her ear, running her fingers through her hair as she pulled it up into a ponytail, revealing one gold eye, one blue-violet, something that she didn't show anyone else. Her hair itself was strange enough, one black streak running down the right side of her hair. Behind her right air was a dragon's head birthmark, which she tried to hide. Then she heard the tell-tale footsteps down a corridor nearby and looked around. She didn't recognise the sound, and she knew there different footsteps of pretty much everyone in this place. She was one of the few who didn't really make a any noise when walking normally, and no noise when she was trying to hide. Slowly she walked forwards, her feet now silent, and then peered down the corridor, peering around. Then she smiled.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to get here." She called out, rather coolly. Ren jumped slightly, looking around and glaring at Ralia.

"Hey, you're that chick that helped steal my glasses!"

"Yeah, that would be me. Sorry about that, by the way. I had no idea that the big idiot would do that. Slightly surprised the clumsy oaf didn't slip up and break your nose by accident, actually." Renita frowned.

"You do know who you're talking about... Don't you?"

"Oh yeah. Ganondorf Dragmire, the idiot in charge of this place. I'm actually waiting for him to get his arse back here," She paused, pulling something out of a small bag on her belt, "Thought you might want these back." She held them out and Ren started managing her way over, pausing a moment before reaching out and taking...

"My glasses?" She asked, slipping them on, now able to see pretty much perfectly clearly. The assassin nodded, shrugging slightly before leaning casually against the wall, quickly undoing her hair and letting it hang loose around her shoulders, falling in front of her left eye (the golden one), hoping that Ren hadn't yet seen it.

"Why?" Ren asked.

"Well, Renita dear, I figured that Ganondork went a bit far when it came to taking your glasses. And he's well and truly too dumb to have realised that I managed to pick his pocket," She shrugged again, "Also it means you have no reason to steal from the King of Thieves, which, entertaining as that may be, it's also extremely stupid because you would then have a whole hoard of thieves after you. Clearly you're too stupid to have thought about that before you came here after revenge."

"I... what... how dare...!" She started turning red and the assassin couldn't help the smirk that slipped onto her face.

"You're so easy to annoy, you really should work on that." Then she turned and started walking away, completely ignoring the flustered and slightly pissed of would-be thief.

"Hey! Don't turn your back on me – ah... hang on..."

"Well that ruined the effect. You were doing so well at the whole undignified and needing to extract your revenge act."

"Oi!" Ren snapped, storming forwards and grabbing the assassin by the shoulder, only to have her hand thrown off, a hand wrapping around her throat, and finding herself slammed up hard against the wall.

"You might not want to do that again." She was told in a low, intimidating voice.

"I'll bear that in mind, thanks," Ren snarled back as she was released, "What's your name, anyway? That big oaf, as you so delicately put it, jumped me before you finished your "I'm Batman" speech."

"Who's Batman?" Renita sighed, hanging her head slightly.

"Forgot you don't have him here..." She muttered before looking up at the red-head again, "Some superhero vigilante type. Now, your name?"

"Batman, apparently." Ren finally lost it.

"Ugh! Just tell me your thrice dammed name already!"

"Temper temper."

"Oh-ho... girly, you really don't want to piss me off more than I already am."

"Don't I? This is actually kind of fun..." The assassin lowered her voice and said as gruffly as she could "I'm Batman." Ren paused, struggling with herself a bit.

"OK, that was actually a half descent impersonation."

"Why, thank you." She bowed, then thought for a moment. Then Ren remembered the whole point behind this argument.

"Are you trying to make me forget that I asked you your name?"

"Yep. But it's your fault for not asking the right question."

"My – ?! Well excuuuuuuuuuse me!" Ren was beginning to go slightly red in the face, "You're the one who... who..."

"Who what? Keeps managing to beat you with my words? Yeah, and there was me hoping for a challenge. Evidently I'm going to be disappointed." The assassin looked down at her fingers, seeming to be checking them for dirt. Ren thought for a moment.

"What do most people call you?" Now the assassin looked up, her eyes shining slightly, though the rest of her face held no sign of emotion.

"Now we're getting somewhere," She muttered, "Nim, though you'll find that Ganondorf calls me Ralia, him and his mums. Everyone else who calls me that finds themselves missing a tongue, or perhaps their reproductive parts if they are men and extremely annoying. And if you try asking me what my real name is, you're going to find yourself unable to eat solids for a couple of weeks. It has happened before. No one knows my real name, and no one ever will. We clear on that?" Nim hardly paused to see Ren's reaction, "Good. Now come on. We gotta get you looking at least slightly presentable before Captain Dork gets back." Unsure of how to respond, Ren just followed Nim down the halls silently, more than a little confused about what just happened.

* * *

Ganondorf arrived back at the fortress a few days later, flinging himself tiredly into the nearest seat and feeling his eyes shut, even if only for a moment before someone barged into the room and ruffled his hair annoyingly.

"Get off." He mumbled.

"Aw, poor little thing," It was Nim's voice, "You must be so tired after your journey. I am so, so sorry to hear that." She flopped down, leaning heavily on his shoulders.

"I told you to get off." Ganondorf growled, sounding a lot more forceful as he opened his eyes and sat up straight, turning around so he could tower over Nim, a scowl etched on his face. Nim just folded her arms, not a hint of emotion in her one visible eye. He never did understand why she bothered hiding her golden eye, especially here in the desert where that was normal. Her ears folded back slightly in annoyance or exasperation, Ganondorf never did get the hang of telling which was which with Nim.

"Letting you know now you have a guest. You're not allowed to kill her while I'm gone, you understand? I would say she's my guest, but I've had hardly anything to do with her since she got here and I'm ditching you in a couple of hours, tops. Got another job lined up, some idiot in Hyrule wants another idiot dealt with. Before you ask, no, it doesn't interfere with any of your plans." Ganondorf just stared at her for a moment, still finding it a little off putting how... professional Nim was. He knew she'd become more professional than human, but still... this was just starting to get a little spooky, even for him.

"Who is it?" He asked eventually, still sounding slightly more gruff than he normally would. He always treated Nim a little different from the rest of his sisters. She was, after all, the only one he shared no blood with, and yet – though he would never admit it – she was the one he cared about the most.

"Oh, don't worry. You've met before, and I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about." If Ganondorf didn't know any better he could have sworn that her eye sparkled in what was her version of a smile.

"Ralia..." He warned.

"You really think I'd have a house guest that would kill you as soon as lay eyes on you?" Nim snapped, her eyebrows coming slightly more together, "And you're supposed to be intelligent" She out her hands up before Ganondorf could reply, "I'm going. No killing each other. If you need to throw her in the dungeons. But no killing. Understood? Good. Now, have fun." With that she turned and walked out, her long, wavy hair hanging down her back and swishing slightly as she moved. Ganondorf scowled. Why did she always have to be so rude? He sat back down with a sigh and glanced out the window, freezing when he saw the brown haired girl... with her glasses...

"NIMUE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, knowing that she wasn't going to come back, but needing to vent some anger somehow... that didn't involve killing Ren.

* * *

 **Soooooo... nice little prologue, yeah, there's fourth wall break with the character Ren, who is character I borrow from my buddy ArtemisStar2007, who has the original version of Ren and some other very interesting characters. I've done a variation on a theme, that's all. My main character is Nim, who has been in other fanfics, but this is the line that she was originally made for. Hope you enjoy! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**OK... So I haven't been around much... But! But but buuuuuuut! Your favourite owl is briefly in this chapter! Is all forgiven? :Do**

 **Please let all be forgiven...**

* * *

 _Seven years later_

Nim sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. There were a lot of things she could out up with. A pesky blue fairy telling her to listen every three seconds, walking around with a boy who thought a wind sock was the height of fashion, even tolerating an excessively picky horse that will only run faster if given carrots. But listening to Kaepoora just going on and on about who knew what... it just got tiring.

"You can't make him shut up?" She muttered to her companion, who looked equally tired. He silently shook his head.

"You don't think I've tried that before?" He challenged.

"Alright, point taken." She adjusted herself on her horse and started looking around, planning where to go next. She was actually getting slightly tired of running around with Link, going here there and everywhere, trying to find a way to bring down Ganondorf. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen the big fool in a few years. And those years had been surprisingly quiet... if you counted an annoying hylian with one of those rats with wings hanging on his shoulder showing up at random times, or a crazy dragon boy appearing in her house as being quiet.

"Don't you not want me to never not repeat this ever again?" Kaepoora asked and Link gave him a bit of a blank look.

"Oh, just shut up!" Nim snapped, glaring at the owl, "We ignored you perfectly well the first time, we don't need to do it again," She turned to Link, "I want to take a break. We do so much of this hero stuff, I reckon we deserve a one." Link smiled, silently agreeing with her. Kaepoora was just watching her, completely confused about what had just happened. Even Navi was quiet.

"Your idea?" Link asked when Nim didn't immediately say.

"Let's go rob Ganondorf." Everyone froze, except for Navi... who fell out of the sky, only just being caught by Link.

"What?!" He asked, completely taken by surprise. Nim almost smirked.

"You want to show you've got guts... why not steal from the King of Thieves himself?" Silence fell over the small group. It was a while before Link replied.

"I always wondered if you were insane. I think I know now."

"It's not that insane." Nim rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding?! Ganondorf is the guy who I'm supposed to beat! He's the one that's destined to doom Hyrule!"

"Please, you have to go there anyway. And how much doom have you seen so far? Hyrule is flourishing." She spoke the truth. There didn't seem to be much change in Hyrule since Link had gone into his seven year sleep, for want of a better word. Nim looked almost sorry for the... almost young man dressed all in green as she shook her head. Link still didn't look convinced, but Nim knew what she wanted. She was going to get it.

"I'm going, whether you're coming or not." She turned her horse, a beautiful dapple grey mare, and started heading off in the direction of the Gerudo Desert. Link sighed, looking down at the fairy still in his hand. He sighed.

"We should... probably go to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid...shouldn't we?" He asked. Navi flew up to hover beside his shoulder, flying around in angry circles for a bit, but then reluctantly landed on his shoulder. He sighed and turned his horse, a nice brown thing (not Epona... apparently she had gotten sick and died a few months before he woke up) and followed Nim.

* * *

Link was in a room just down the corridor, Nim leaning rather casually against the wall in the hall, her knife in one hand, an apple (of all things) in the other. She casually scraped off another thin layer and slipped it into her mouth. Where were those patrols when you wanted them... Obviously Ganondorf had gotten rather slack in the however many years it had been since she had last seen him. Soon she knew Link would come out of that room and wonder why the hell she was being so obvious, considering how they'd met... That was when she heard footsteps. She leaned her head to one side, a sly smirk spreading on her face. That was a rhythm she had heard not many times before, but one which she had gone through great pains to remember.

"Hey, Renita dear. I'm home." She called out, rather quietly so Link didn't hear her. The footsteps faltered, then increased in speed as Ren hurried over to where Nim was. For a moment Ren just looked at Nim, then scowled.

"Four years, Nim," She growled, "Four years!"

"Hey, calm down, hun. I'm here now, aren't I?" Nim smirked, "How'd you like the tongue I sent?"

"I hate you, I really, really hate you."

"Oh, I don't doubt it. But for now," Nim turned her head as Link came back into the hall, "I got a pressie for ya." Link looked from Ren to Nim. When his eyes landed on the red head they held a hint of the betrayal he felt. Ren raised her eyebrows.

"Um... thanks? I guess?"

"No problem. Just make sure he doesn't get away and try to remove Ganondorf from our lovely world." She turned away and started walking off, not looking back at Link, who she was sure was looking like a lost puppy on the sidewalk. Ren was probably keeping half an eye on Nim, half an eye on Link, just being confused.

* * *

She worked her way to the roof and stepped out, looking over the dry, arid desert. Slowly she sat down, crossing her legs and letting the hot air play with her hair, pulling it away from her face and revealing her golden eye. For a while she just sat there, not even pretending to think. She looked down at her hands, clasped before her. Why was she here? She should just... go... before –

"Mind if I join you?" She looked around, looking around at Ganondorf as he stepped up onto the roof and sat next to her.

"You feeling OK?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"There was once a time you wouldn't ask if you could join me, and once upon a time you would have started ripping into me for not coming back for four years."

"Oh, trust me. When Ren told me you were here, I wanted to kill you. Right up until I saw you sitting here looking miserable," He chuckled, "Sometimes I regret taking you in."

"Well, sorry, Dad."

"I don't..." Ganondorf scowled, "Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?"

"Guard yourself."

"Ren does it."

"She's not the best role model for a girl like you."

"She's a year older than me and acts like a five year old. Tell me how you got the idea how she's my role model when you can't name a single other role model in my life?"

"Nim – "

"Enough, Ganondorf. Alright? Enough." Ganondorf sighed, running a hand down his face.

"Every time, Nim."

"The hell are you talking about now?"

"Every single bloody, fucking time!"

"The hell have I done wrong now?!"

"Whenever you start having a nice conversation with someone, you do this!"

"Do what?"

"You turn it into an argument!"

"Only because whoever I'm talking to at the time misreads me and takes things way out of proportion!" Nim stood up, turning on Ganondorf, "Why the hell do you always turn it on me?! You're an adult, Dragmire. Why not try acting like one for once in your puny, pathetic, miserable, unimportant life?!" Her eyes flashed angrily as she turned and got down off the roof, leaving Ganondorf just sitting there, completely taken by surprise. Slowly he leaned forwards, resting his head in his hands. He did not understand that girl at all. Where had he gone wrong this time? He couldn't see how it could have turned into a fight so quickly, and judging by the way Nim had reacted... but was it really his fault? She had a habit of making people feel guilty when it wasn't really anyone's fault. This was ridiculous. He looked up over his desert, trying to come to terms with the troubles of his world.

* * *

Link looked out from behind the bars into the darkness. Slowly he stepped forwards, wrapping his hands round a couple of bars, his eyes narrowing and his jaw clenching tight.

"What do you want?" He asked. He'd been travelling with Nim a while. He knew her tricks, including being able to hide in the shadows better than anyone (though he wasn't going to admit this was about the third time he'd asked the shadows what they wanted). Slowly Nim emerged, her arms folded.

"You shouldn't be so pissed with me," She said, her voice completely flat, "If it weren't for me you'd probably be dead."

"Yeah. Right." Link turned away from Nim, not wanting to look at her.

"Listen carefully, Link," She said, "I'm only going to say this once."

"Whatever."

"There is a reason that I handed you over to Dragmire and Ren."

"Yeah. You're a traitorous, backstabbing witch."

"Mind your tongue with me, boy," Nim spat back, "I have loyalties, and they are exactly why I did this. I was not about to let you send my brother to who knows where." Link frowned, completely taken aback, then turned to face Nim, the confusion still smearing his face.

"What?"

"Ganondorf. I know there isn't much of a family resemblance, but he's family. So's Ren. I'm not going to let either of them get hurt. If that means turning on you, then I'll do it in a second. No matter what. And considering this whole quest of yours is to defeat my brother, then I can't let that happen," Nim scoffed, "Only reason you're not dead is because Ren wanted to talk. For the record, I was against the idea."

"So... we were never friends?" Link asked, frowning slightly. Nim shook her head.

"No. I was manipulating you that whole time," She took another step forward, leaning on the bars to Link's cell, "If you knew who I was in the first place you would have tried very hard to kill me."

"Why?"

"Because I was the one who killed your precious king." Link closed his eyes. How could he have been so stupid... He had always known there was something off about Nim. Every single time they had gotten close to her past, where she came from, what family she had, she had just closed off, somehow managed to turn things around so they were talking about him.

"You're the Shadow."

"That's one of my names, yes."

"Zelda warned me about you."

"You're stupid princess warned you about a lot of people who if you just gave a chance you might actually get along with quite well," Was that just a... laugh... "If you knew Ganondorf, if you knew what he was really like... then maybe you wouldn't want to fight him."

"I doubt that."

"For crying out loud, Link! Believe it or not I'm trying to help you." She scowled.

"Help me? How?"

"I grew up with Ganondorf," Nim explained, "I've seen a side of him that not many people outside the Gerudo have. Believe it or not, he's one of the nicest people out there," She scoffed, "And he would probably kill me if he heard me saying that."

"One of the nicest people, huh?"

"He was the first real example of a nice man that I ever had," Nim explained, "Before him it had all been hell. Every man I met hurt me. Ganondorf was different. He actually cared. He didn't keep me around so he could have a punching bag, he kept me around so he could help me. If it weren't for him then I probably would have killed you. As soon as I saw you. So in a round about kind of way he saved your life, and you owe him." Link sat down against the wall, his hands rested on his knees.

"I don't owe him a thing."

"You do. We both do. After this I hope I'm out of his debt. Because I want to leave. I want to leave and not come back, I want to have nothing to care about so I don't have to keep worrying about them, so I don't have to keep running back to them. I want to stop putting them in danger because of who I am. And all that?" She paused, then pointed at Link, "All that rests on you," She stepped back, turning away from Link, "Good chat. Hope it gives you something to think about."

"How do I know you aren't lying?" Link called out as Nim was about to leave his field of vision. She stopped, only half looking around.

"I've never lied to you, Link. I don't lie. Especially not about stuff like this. I may be a murderer, but I do have some kind of honour." Then she vanished, leaving Link to think about what had just happened.

* * *

 _"There's been a... development."_

"Tell me."

 _"The hero. He was tricked, captured by Ganondorf."_

"What? How could this happen?"

 _"The girl who was travelling with him? Nim? Well, turns out she's Ganondorf's sister."_

"Ganondorf has a lot of sisters. None of them hylian."

 _"Not biological."_

"Ganondorf would never have a hylian as a sister."

 _"It would seem he does."_

"No, he doesn't. He isn't. He is cruel and heartless. He would kill a hylian as soon as look at one."

 _"He raised her since she was nine. He cares for her."_ There was silence for a moment.

"Why would she betray Link for Ganondorf?"

 _"Wouldn't you? For family?"_ Again, silence.

"I don't have any family," Another brief moment of silence, "I'm going to get Link out."

 _"How do you plan on doing that?"_

"I'm sure I'll come up with something."

 _"Great... This is going to end well."_


	3. Chapter 3

Ganondorf just sat at the table, playing with his dinner, not trying to eat, lost in his own world, still worrying about his earlier conversation with Nim. He wanted to have a good relationship with her, he really did, he just didn't know how. He didn't notice when Ren came up behind him, jumping slightly when she flopped her arms around his shoulders.

"What's wrong, ya big moping puppy?" She teased, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Ganondorf smiled as best he could, pulling Ren around and onto his lap. She just smirked, crossing her arms before leaning her head against his chest.

"Nim." Ganondorf admitted eventually. Ren didn't say anything, just waiting for him to continue. He would when he was ready, even if that did take a little while sometimes. It was hard for him to talk about this stuff, he wasn't usually the type to pour his heart and soul into everything. But sometimes, just sometimes, he really needed to. And those times usually involved Nim.

"I want to understand her, I really do," He sighed, resting his chin on Ren's head, "I've known her ten, going on eleven years, and I still feel like I don't know a single thing about her."

"Maybe she doesn't like how much you dote on her." Ren mumbled.

"What?"

"I get it, she's like a sister to you, even your moms view her as their daughter, and you know that she's had a rough background, so... maybe she doesn't want it quite as easy as you make it for her?"

"So I should... be... meaner to her?"

"I'm not saying that," Ren pulled away from him slightly and half turned so she could look up into his face, "I'm saying that maybe you should treat her like you treat everyone else," She smirked, "Except maybe Caine." Ganondorf scowled, which was probably the reaction that Ren was after, but he didn't exactly care. He didn't know why he didn't just throw that annoying hylian in the dungeon and throw away the keys until the end of time. Just having the guy in the same room as Ren and Nim made Ganondorf's skin crawl. While he was sitting there brooding Ren quietly curled up against his chest again, neither of them saying anything.

* * *

By that point Nim was already back in Hyrule Castle Town, mostly just chilling in the shadows, lying under trees, maybe climbing the castle walls, taunting a couple of the guards... just some random stuff to keep busy. There was one shop she specifically didn't enter. It wasn't often she felt up to coping with Caine's flirting or asking her to translate what his kee was saying, which was another thing that could get slightly annoying. She could swear that Bax was better at making conversation that his owner, though, even if the kee was wrong and apples were better than grapes. She flicked her ears irritably before darting out of the way of a small group of kids, darting once more into the shadows she felt so comfortable in. Just as she stated walking away was when she heard the first scream. She turned around, looking in the direction it had come from, frowning.

 _Could just be someone saw a spider._

 _Wishful thinking. And you know it._

Nim turned with an exasperated sigh and started running in the direction the scream had come from, slipping past a growing, panicking crowd.

"Ganondorf's behind this!" Someone cried as they bumped into her, sending her sprawling to the ground, landing on top of her. She scowled.

"Wrong. Ganondorf isn't behind this." She spat back, throwing her assailant off her and getting to her feet, still fighting her way through the crowds. She was right. This was not a Ganondorf trick. Ren would never let him do something like this, attacking this town made things get too close to the destiny that was supposed to happen. Instead it was a bunch of things she had never seen before attacking the town. They were like weasels... except much, much bigger, and they were bipedal with slightly more, for want of a better term, human features. They looked rather grotesque, in truth. Some of them held staves, all made of the same wood, but with different coloured stripes – blue, purple-blue, green, or red – running up them. Nim stopped, sighing and reaching for the swords that pretty much always hung by her sides. She drew them and got into position, watching a couple of moments before taking the first swipe at the nearest creature, severing its throat in a single moment before turning the next one, then the next and the next one. Then she saw Sheik, somehow just... there. That bloody Sheikah drove her mad.

"Hey!" Nim snapped, getting Sheik's attention, "Stay out of my way." Sheik just nodded and went back to whatever it is that sheikah do. Nim spun around and planted a kick into one of the weasel's guts, causing them to bend over forwards and clutching its stomach before having one of Nim's swords put in the back of its skull. And then she spotted Sheik again, now surrounded. She scowled and ran forwards, climbing up the wall of the nearest house before running along and jumping on top of one of the attackers, placing herself in front of Sheik.

"I thought you were a decent fighter." She growled.

"I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah. Seems like it." Sheik scowled at Nim.

"You betrayed Link."

"The one thing I'm going to be remembered for," Nim spat back, "You're the one always leaving him on his own." She kicked out and then killed the next in line before something shot up her side, sending her falling to the ground, a small growl of pain escaping her. She looked around, glaring at the beast that attacked her. It held a purple-blue striped staff in its hands, bloodlust in its eyes. Nim knew the look well. She kicked out – or tried to – and ended up crying out in pain, her left side completely numb. She let herself fall the ground, reaching out with her right hand and clenching it in a fist, blood now seeping out the thing's ears, mouth, and nose before it fell to the ground. Sheik stepped forward, and the next thing Nim knew they were far away from Hyrule Castle Town. She let her head fall back on the ground, summoning what power she had left, and vanished from Sheik's sight.

* * *

Something wasn't right. Both Ren and Ganondorf knew it. News was pouring in from Hyrule, and yet there was no sign of Nim. Last time anyone saw her, she was going towards the problem, a bunch of these things that no one really seemed to know what they were. As though things weren't stressful enough for Ganondorf and Ren. Ganondorf just paced the room, struggling to think straight, while Ren was busy reading another report, trying to figure out what was going on. She sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"You know Nim better than me," She said, looking over at Ganondorf, "Where would she go if she was hurt?"

"Here! She'd come back here!" The stress was thick in his voice.

"Where other than here?" He stopped pacing and looked around at Ren.

"You really think she's been hurt?" He asked.

"No, I'm just..." She cut herself off and sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, it's a possibility, and one that we can't ignore."

"If she was hurt then she'd come here, get help... wouldn't she?" He frowned, "Unless..." He looked out a nearby window in the direction of Hyrule, not saying anything. For a while Ren just let him think, then got sick of him leaving his sentence hanging dramatically in the air, unfinished.

"Unless... what?" She asked.

"There's one other place she might be," He muttered, "Come on." He strode towards the door, not bothering to see if Ren was following, knowing that she would.

"Oh for Din's sake!" She growling, throwing herself out of her chair and hurrying after Ganondorf, "Couldn't you tell me where we're going for once in your life?!" Ganondorf chuckled slightly.

"Now where would the fun in that be?" Despite his light hearted comment, Ren could still hear the worry in his voice. Nim being injured was possibly a best case scenario. Things could be a lot worse than that, and Ren was worried about what would happen if something worse had happened.

* * *

Ren looked around the small clearing they found in a forest near the border of the Gerudo Desert Hyrule, sitting just on the Hyrule side. The grass here was greener than any Ren had seen in any of her travels, and that was saying something, the trees around swaying gently in the breeze. A small creek ran through the clearing past a round hut with old, faded orange brick walls and thatching that could possibly use a bit of replacing. It seemed like a place out of a fairytale.

"OK... so... this place is nice and all, but it doesn't exactly seem like the kind of place Nim would hide out." Ren asked, still admiring the place as she got off her horse, following Ganondorf over to a smallish pen nearby and closing it again after putting their two horses inside it. Ganondorf looked around, seeming on the lookout for something.

"It's where I found her." Was all he offered in explanation. Ren frowned, slightly surprised by this.

"Here? This clearing?"

"Well... near here. I never told her this but a couple of weeks after I took her to the fortress I came back, trying to figure out where she came from. Stumbled upon this place."

"And... you think she's from here?"

"Yes."

"This is Nim we're talking about," Ren said, not sounding in the least bit convinced, "The same Nim who doesn't want anything to do with her past. Why the hell would she come here?" Ganondorf just pointed to an old grave nearby and Ren fell silent. There was one thing that really got under Nim's skin, even if she never admitted or showed it. Family. If someone she was close to died... She'd want to stay close to them. Ren didn't take her eyes off the grave as Ganondorf walked up to the door of the hut and knocked twice before pushing the door open. He hardly had time to register the knife that was thrown maybe half a millimetre to the side of his head.

"Goddamn it, Dorky!" Nim scowled, "I could have taken your eye out!"

"You could have done a lot more than that." He growled back, but didn't seem that grumpy on the whole, covering the length of the room in a couple of strides and pulling her into a hug. Ren just frowned, eyeing the knife up.

"Fucking hell, Ganondorf! Let me go, for crying out loud!" Nim scowled, struggling to escape. Ren looked around at her in alarm. Her voice had held more than just a note of pain, and now she looked like she was even whiter than a piece of paper, if that was even possible. When she saw Nim's face, the girl's eyes were scrunched shut and she looked like she was struggling not to throw up. Ganondorf took a hurried step back, watching as Nim collapsed into the chair closest to her, leaning heavily on the table.

"Nim...?" Ren asked. Nim looked around at her, not moving her head.

"I'll be fine. Just... give me a moment." Ganondorf and Ren shared worried glances.

"We heard you were at Hyrule Castle Town when it was attacked," Ren said, keeping her voice calm, "After that you vanished. What happened?" Nim leaned back in her seat, eyeing them up, clearly trying to find a way to avoid answering. Eventually she sighed, though it almost came out as more of a growl.

"I was stupid and tried to help Sheik."

"What?!" Ren exploded, taken completely off guard.

"I know," Nim rolled her eyes, "She repaid the debt pretty much straight away and got me the hell out of there when..." She let her voice trail off, shaking her head, muttering something to herself, then pulled her top up a bit to reveal the bandage on her side. Neither Ren nor Ganondorf really knew how to react. Nim slowly lowered her top, leaning lazily on the table.

"It's not as bad as it looks."

"Then it must look worse than shit," Ren growled, "Cause if you're actually showing pain then it must be bad."

"Only because it's pretty fresh. Give it a day or two and I'll be right as rain."

"I doubt it."

"Your choice." Ganondorf was looking more thoughtful than worried, and it took him a little while to speak up.

"You would never let anything hurt you physically," He started, clearly weighing each word before saying them, "So what did this to you? How did you get injured?"

"See, Ren? This guy's asking the right questions," Ren growled as Nim pointed at Ganondorf, "The answer is, I don't really know. Magic. Apart from that..."

"Magic doesn't work on you," Ren pointed out, "So how the hell would it hurt you?"

"Again. I don't know. But it freaks me out a little."


	4. Chapter 4

**I actually updated. Despite the fact I should be doing uni work. And that I have mild writer's block. It has been very problematic recently. And by recently I mean the past several months. Well... writer's block for this story. I have ideas for other fabrics, but this one I'm struggling a little to get where I want to go. Oh well. I'll continue trying to finish this. I refuse to leave it unfinished. Hope you enjoy the update, it is kinda short but hey! At least it's something.**

* * *

Ganondorf and Ren ended up having to leave Nim at her house, even though neither of them were too pleased about it. Nim just refused to leave, no matter what they said or did. Even in her weakened state, Nim was far too stubborn. She watched them leave, standing straight, refusing to show the pain she was in until they were out of sight, when she fell against the door frame, scowling in pain, hand clutched to her injured side.

"You should have let them help you."

"What are you, my mother?" Nim growled out, "I know what I'm doing."

"Oh?" An orange dragon snuck out from the trees, small for a dragon, but certainly larger than a horse, "Could have fooled me." Nim glared at the dragon, still leaning against the door frame.

"I can't get the rest I need if Ganondork is playing mother hen," She explained, "If I could've avoided it then he wouldn't even know I'm hurt."

"Is that why you lied about not knowing what was going on?"

"I didn't lie!" Nim objected, "I don't know for certain. I have a theory, that's it. I'm not going to worry them with this until I know for certain what is going on."

"You're going to need help with this," The dragon told her, "You're in too much pain to even stand on your own for very long. How do you expect to handle this by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself. I have you."

"I'm a dragon. I can't exactly help out a lot. I can't help care for your wounds, I can't persuade other people to help you, I can't get into smaller areas. You need a hylian or gerudo to help you. Or whatever Ren is."

"Human."

"Yes. That."

"She already has a job. Looking after Ganondork. If Link gets out and fulfils his destiny, then Dorky is going to need help. Especially now that he's become a family man."

"Then why not get Link to help you?" Silence fell between the two, not that anyone else would have been able to hear what the dragon was saying anyway. Nim stared at the dragon in disbelief.

"I betrayed him, Shy. You think he'd help me? More likely he'd take advantage of the state I'm in and finish me off."

"Would he manage?"

"Quite possibly."

"And yet you still want to ride off on another grand adventure? When someone like Link could finish you off?" Nim sighed.

"Alright. Point taken," She turned, pushing away from the door frame, "I'm going to bed."

"Don't try anything stupid."

"I leave that to Ganondork." Nim called back over her shoulder, letting the door shut behind her, Shy curling up in front of the cottage and seeming to fall asleep. Of course, it's hard to tell with dragons whether they're actually asleep or simply pretending to be. There were times when Nim found her self-appointed guardian annoying, but as far as company went, Shy wasn't too bad. She was essentially the voice of reason for the young hylian, when she wasn't being dragged into the mess because Nim refused to listen. Which happened annoyingly often. After everything that had happened to her, though, who could blame her for being a bit pig headed?

* * *

Link slammed against the bars again, now getting pissed. How long was he going to be left in here? No one had even come to visit him, which was a mixed blessing. But now he was starting to feel like he was losing his mind. Damn Nim. She put him there, the least she could do was visit every now and again! The thought caught him off guard and he froze. Why did he care what Nim did? She out him there. And yet... She was the person he wanted to see most. She'd been there with him through so much, he supposed that it was hard for him to come to terms with the fact that she had betrayed him for Ganondorf. How could he not have seen it? She didn't look right to be full hylian. But was it even possible to get half gerudos? The way they had to reproduce essentially meant that every single one of them was at least half something else. So what even was Nim? He sighed, heading to the back of the cell and leaning against the wall before sliding to the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. He was going to be there for a while.

"Hey, kid," Someone hissed, Link looking around in surprise, not saying anything, "You, guy in green," Link pointed at himself, confused, "Yeah, you. Come over here." Link crawled back to the bars, peering out into the darkness, frowning. He couldn't make anything out on this gloom, let alone where the voice was coming from.

"What you in for?" The voice asked. Link's frown grew deeper.

"I was sent on a quest to stop Ganondorf from ruling Hyrule." He explained.

"Ooooooh, so you're that kid," The voice said, "How'd you get here then?"

"I trusted the wrong person."

"Nim?"

"How do you...?"

"Oh, Nim gets around. Good kid. Been through a lot. Pretty much impossible to tell what she's thinking at any one time. Good looking, though, if in a slightly strange way."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, no one important. Say, when Ren comes down here with a job proposal, mention that I'm still locked up in here would ya?"

"Why can't you?"

"Because I don't got a death wish," It was then that the door at the top of the steps opened, footsteps echoing around the stone walls as someone made the decent down into the depths, "Speak of the devil..." The stranger stopped talking, Link raising an eyebrow in confusion as he stood up. Ren stopped in front of him, staring him straight in the eye, completely unblinking. Link glared back.

"You know anything about what happened?" She asked. Link raised an eyebrow.

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"At Hyrule Castle Town. Do you know anything about what happened?"

"I honestly have no clue why you're even asking me this."

"It was attacked not long ago." Ren explained. Link clenched his hands into fists, hitting the bars to his cell.

"If anyone knows what happened, it would be you or Ganondorf. You probably organised it."

"You think we'd try to destroy the place we've been helping to flourish for the past few years?" Ren demanded, "What kind of dumb logic do you call that?!"

"I don't know how you lot think," Link spat back, "All I know is that I was warned about Ganondorf, and because you're with him, I was warned about you. And Nim. And everyone else who chose the wrong side."

"We used to work together, Link," Ren pointed out, "Hell, I used to work for the bloody king. You know that. Zelda told you Ganondorf was evil, told you to stop him. But have you seen any signs of him being evil?"

"He killed the king."

"Actually, that was Nim," Link scowled, not wanting to believe it but knowing it was true, "Now back to my original question. Know anything about what happened in Hyrule Castle Town?"

"I've been stuck in here, how would I know?"

"What about giant humanoid weasel like things that walk upright?" Ren asked, "Know anything about them?"

"Meelvice?" Link asked, frowning, "Run into a couple of them in the past, but they were peaceful. Traders."

"When did you run into them?"

"Before Nim joined up with me. They were plenty friendly."

"What did they trade? Potions, magic, enchantments?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"Information," Link said, "They would ask a question, I would answer, they would give me supplies."

"Just for answering a question?"

"Never thought much about it at the time, but yes."

"What kind of questions would they ask?" Link shrugged.

"Anyone strange around the place, any sightings of the princess, who was the strongest warrior of the time, how many dragons were around the place, how were the crop harvests –"

"Some of those questions are... kinda strange," Ren frowned, "And a bit like they have been preparing for this for a while."

"I haven't seen them for years." Link told her.

"Doesn't help put my mind at ease," Ren muttered, "They're after something."

"When they asked after dragons they claimed they were dragon hunters, which I found funny at the time. Rodents fighting dragons? Just seems wrong."

"Mmm..." Ren turned and started to walked away, still thinking. Link grabbed the bars to his cell, trying to watch as she walked off.

"Where are you going?"

"To tell Ganondorf what you just told me."

"The other guy said to remind you he's still down here." Ren stopped walking, slapping her forehead.

"I knew I'd forgotten something!" She exclaimed, "Raven, you know that the door is unlocked, right?"

"What?" The other guy said. Ren nodded.

"Nim unlocked it a while ago."

"She did?"

"Yup."

"That sneaky little..."

"Yup." Ren turned and resumed walking, Link's fellow 'prisoner' opening the door to his cell and slipping down the corridor.

"Nice meeting you, Mr. Hero Guy!" He said, almost too cheerfully. Link sighed, resting his head against the bars. Then he frowned, reached out and through the bars, his frown deepening as his fingers found the keyhole... And the key sticking out of it. Ren had never gotten close enough to put that there... had she? Or had that guy Raven put it there? Though he never seemed to have gotten close enough to do it either... Though he was a bit hard to keep track of. Link turned the key in the lock and stepped out, looking around. One step closer to freedom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for any mistakes, I only just wrote this and I haven't done any checking. At all. BUT. It is something. I have... semi almost overcome the writer's block. Hopefully. We'll see. Anyway! I'll stop talking now.**

* * *

They stood in a cavern underground, the stench of rot and damp filling the air. The meelvice all chittered amongst themselves, waiting for what was coming. There were a couple of hylians passing through the crowds, heads bowed, chains around their necks, wrists, and ankles as they carried plates of snacks around the collected rodents. Some of the hylians present were free to do what they wanted, standing with staffs with the different colours winding their ways up them, others holding spears, all with straight backs and standing to attention.  
"She is seeking refuge," One of the hylains said, a young man with dark hair and pale brown eyes, "As far as we know it's still just the dragon that we have to deal with."  
"One lone dragon isn't too much trouble," The meelvice with him said, a slightly darker rodent with a pristine white belly, "It's if the so-called King gets involved, or his pesky lover."  
"I'm aware, sir," The hylian looked down at the ground, his hands behind his back as he walked, fringe falling in his eyes, "It would probably be best to act sooner rather than later. We only have a few days until the moon, and even weakened she will present an interesting fight."  
"Then what are you waiting around for?" The general asked, turning to face the hylian, "Get out there and drag her back here."  
"I need men. More men than you gave me last time. They didn't last long. I need better men, stronger ones, ones that actually stand a chance against her."  
"Take five from the main forces."  
"You gave me thirty to attack the town, and that wasn't enough. How to you expect me to work with only five?"  
"Figure something out, boy. And you had better not fail me again. Or you know what's coming to you." The hylian bowed, his face set in a faint frown as he backed away. He only turned to watch where he was going once he was a couple of steps away. He struggled to push his way through the crowds, finding his way to where the main forces were situated. He'd have to find the best of them. The elite would have been better, but he couldn't have some of them without permission from the General. That was just the way things were. As it was he was higher than most hylians, more trusted, honoured to have as much power as he did among the meelvice. Hylians were nothing to these people, a means to an end. Majority of those who followed the meelvice cause ended up being used as cannon fodder, training bags. Meat sacks. That was all. No more than that.

* * *

Link didn't stop until he'd reached the clearing, panting as he looked around. This place wasn't the easiest to find. His hair was even messier than it usually was as he looked around the clearing, the stream the clearest blue he'd seen in a long time. Since visiting the zora, to be exact. There was nothing around that he could tell, so far everything seemed safe enough, so he hesitantly made his way to the house. The circular cottage with thatched roofing and circular windows. Something from out of a fairy tale. Definitely not what he would expect from a murderer. He knocked loudly on the door, then waited. He couldn't hear anything, no footsteps, nothing cooking. It was complete silence except for the birds and running water from the stream, maybe one of two little critters. There was a squirrel running up a tree nearby, chittering in excitement as it sat down on a branch, a nut clasped protectively in its hands. Link looked back to the door, raising his hand to knock again when it was pulled open, his eyes meeting with Nim's purple one. She glared when she saw him, every muscle in her body tensing ever so slightly, her hand reaching for something kept just inside the door. Link assumed that it was a sword of dagger or something.  
"I'm just here to talk." He said, holding out his hands to show he was unarmed.  
"That's rich, coming from you," Nim growled back, but stepped outside, stashing the weapon in the back of her belt, "We'll talk out here. I ain't letting you in my house." She told him, rather forcefully as she closed the door behind her, pushing past Link and heading to a fallen tree no too far from the water's edge, her bare feet hardly influencing the grass she stood on. No footprints were left behind, no grass crushed beneath her. One of the signs of a true assassin. Nothing left behind. He walked after her, looking around behind him at the slight imprints his boots left, supressing a sigh. Sometimes he wished he could be as invisible as Nim. It would make life so much easier. She was already sitting on the log when he looked back around, her hair falling loose around her shoulders, reaching about the middle of her back. Her hair looked like fire in this light, except for that one black streak, which she had partially done in a small waterfall braid. It was quite pretty, in a way. Link sat down on Nim's right, the side that he could actually see her eye from. He never understood why she kept her left eye hidden behind her hair.  
"So what is it you wanted to talk about? You have five minutes before I get Ganondorf here." She sounded bored, cold, closed off. What else was new?  
"What happened at Hyrule Castle Town?" He asked.  
"It was attacked by giant rodents."  
"Yeah, Ren told me, but… what happened to it?"  
"You mean is it still standing?"  
"I don't know."  
"How can you not know? You know everything!" Link looked at her in surprise, slight panic in his eyes. Nim sat with a straight back, eyes locked on the water in front of her. Her white singlet was quite close fitting, something that Link was struggling not to let distract him. She was already quite grown up for a sixteen-year-old girl, not just in personality. Personality wise, she was still pretty much a stubborn, moody teenager.  
"I wasn't exactly in the position to check when I left."  
"You were there?" Link turned properly, watching Nim closely, "How can you not know?" He asked again, Nim rapidly losing her patience.  
"Why do you think, idiot?" She growled, "Because I was injured." Link froze, unsure how to reply. Nim never got injured. That was her thing, being the best fighter in damn near any situation. How could she have gotten hurt?  
"Your five minutes is almost up, you realise." Link frowned, looking down slightly but not concentrating on anything.  
"Did you kill the old king of Hyrule?" He asked, Nim half shrugging.  
"Perhaps."  
"Did you kill him?"  
"You just asked that."  
"And you didn't give me a proper answer."  
"What does it matter to you if I killed him or not? It was going to happen anyway. It was just a matter of time, and who was going to do it."  
"Was it you?"  
"It was either me or Ganondorf. Who would you rather kill him?" Link shook his head, not wanting to believe this. Nim stood up, crossing over to the water, sitting on the bank and letting her feet trail in the cool stream. Link watched her for a moment, still confused by everything.  
"So why did you do it? Why did you let all this happen?" He asked.  
"I don't need to explain my motives to you."  
"No, but I think you owe it to me," Link told her, "After everything that has happened. You left me in those cells, Nim. I was alone in there, when I have a duty to Hyrule."  
"One, you weren't alone, and two, you think you have a duty to kill my brother. I'm not going to let that happen. If it comes to a choice between you and him, then I'll choose him. Every time."  
"Even if he's meant to bring about the destruction of the kingdom?"  
"But he's not meant to."  
"He's the one that Zelda didn't trust."  
"Zelda is a spoilt little brat who simply doesn't like the colour yellow," Nim scoffed, "If she saw me she'd think I had evil eyes, too."  
"If you're going with this argument, then no she wouldn't. Your eyes are purple."  
"No. Trust me on this one, Green. Zelda is just a judgemental bitch, no better than her father. The gerudos have needed help for a long time. You try surviving in a desert. It's hard. They need food, water, and guess what? All that sad isn't exactly the best terrain for growing crops in. They needed help. That's why Ganondorf originally went to Hyrule. But that fat oaf of a king refused to help us. Do you really think that's right? To condemn one civilisation while the other is thriving?" Silence hung between them, Link frowning, only now starting to even begin to get an idea of the larger picture, "You're still so damn naïve, even after everything." Nim muttered, Link sighing. He knew she was right. Not that he was going to admit that. Nim had a big enough head as it was, he didn't want it to get any bigger.  
"Nim –" Something echoed around the clearing, Nim's head whipping around as she stood up in one smooth motion, the dagger in her hand, a low growl emanating around the area. Link slowly stood up, his hand moving to where his sword should be before he remembered it was still back at the fortress.  
"What is it?" He asked in a hushed voice.  
"Oversized pests." Nim growled back, a dragon creeping out from behind her cottage, the low rumble emanating from it. Link looked in surprise at the dragon, then around again as three meelvice came out from the treeline. He took half a step back, closer to Nim.  
"You got any more weapons on you?" He asked.  
"How many do you think I would have hidden on me when I'm at home?" She demanded, rolling her eyes.  
"I don't know how your mind works. I thought I had an idea, but now I don't know the first thing about you."  
"Wrong. Now is when you're just starting to know me. You haven't even scratched the surface properly." Nim replied.  
"You come quietly, and we won't hurt anyone." One of the meelvice called.  
"Your voice really needs to drop," Nim replied, "You sound like it's permanently breaking."  
"It's not fun, Nim, stop making fun of it." Link muttered back to her, looking around in surprise as Nim forced her dagger into his hand.  
"We don't want to hurt you, the boy, or the dragon," The meelvice continued, ignoring Nim's comment, "It's your choice how this goes down, Helfarigayar Ralia." Nim frowned, actually showing her confusion for once.  
"What did you just call me?"  
"You best hurry and make your choice. We don't have much patience."  
"Neither do I," Nim shrugged, "And the dragon doesn't exactly what I'd call anger management, and you just walked unannounced into her territory." The dragon leapt forward, mouth open, a roar escaping her as flame erupted from her mouth. Nim grabbed Link by the hand, dragging him over to the cottage as the dragon created a diversion. Link couldn't do anything but follow, Nim almost throwing him into the room and slamming the door shut.  
"What is going on?" He asked, panicked, angry, adrenaline rushing through his body.  
"For Din's sake, how the hell should I know?!" Nim demanded, barricading the door before going around and pulling on her tunic, cringing in pain as she lifted her left arm, Link watching her worriedly. She clasped her hand to the side when she was done, then stumbled over to the chest she kept her weapons in, grabbing one of her twin blades and throwing it to Link, who neatly caught it and threw the dagger to her, which she slipped back into the back of her belt before grabbing her leather arm bands, slipping a knife into each of them, her second twin blade going into a scabbard tied to her belt on her left. She then put on her boots, slipping another dagger into each of them before half pulling her hair out of her face, the left eye still covered as she stepped back to the door. There was no longer any sound of dragon fighting, and she knew that Shy had retreated to get help.  
"I'm starting to really hate these guys." She muttered.  
"They're meant to be peaceful, I don't understand." Link told her, frowning in confusion.  
"I don't care what they're meant to be. I care that they're trying to kill me." She spat back, just as smoke started to fill the air. She looked around, rage filling her eyes as she hurried around trying to find where the flames were originating so she could put the flames out.  
"They are _not_ burning this place down!" She growled, Link trying his best to help her. It was very soon clear that there was no way for them to stop the flames from spreading, though Nim refused to acknowledge that fact. Flames licked at the furniture, climbing up the walls, the roof already beginning to cave in, smoke filling their lungs. Link ended up having to grab Nim and force her to the door, kicking it open and hauling her out. Soot streaked their faces and clothes as Link fell to the ground, Nim stumbling, turning to watch as her home went up in flames. For a moment she looked distraught, but that was gone in such a short amount of time that it would have been missed if Link had blinked. The look that replaced the dismay was one of pure rage. She turned to the meelvice the was holding a staff up to the cottage, flames leaping from it to the thatching. She twirled her sword in her hand before launching herself forward, Link pushing himself into a better position to get up from, watching Nim as she went. She was moving slower than she should be, not landing quite properly on her left foot. And if he could see that, then the meelvice certainly would be able to. She spun so her left side wasn't exposed to the rodent, swinging her sword and slicing at the meelvice, though the blow was easily blocked. They traded blows, Nim's reactions slower than they should be, the meelvice taking advantage of it, and very soon Nim wasn't just facing one, but four of the creatures. The last one was making its way over to Link, teeth bared in a sickening grin. He struggled to get to his feet, eyes darting to where Nim was in serious trouble, a staff slamming into the side of her head, sending her stumbling back into the arms of another of the rodents, her sword being wrenched from her hand, her daggers removed one by one. No matter how hard Link tried, he couldn't get up, the smoke still too thick, already having inhaled too much. The world spun around him, the meelvice coming ever closer to him.  
"Don't kill him," Someone commanded, someone who Link couldn't see, "He's of no concern." The meelvice stood towering over him, a look of disappointment of its furry features. Then it slammed its staff into Link's head, his world now cold, unfeeling blackness.


	6. Chapter 6

Ganondorf looked up at the sound of a dragon's roar, a concerned frown creasing his forehead. He stood up, heading to one of the windows of the fortress, a small commotion down in the courtyard below. The Gerudo warriors were trying to calm an orange dragon with black spines, a dragon he recognised as Shy, Nim's friend. And she was panicked. Clear as day. Ren was already rushing out to meet her, try to calm her. Ganondorf threw the papers he'd been reading through to the floor, running to the door and down the corridors until he reached the door to the desert, Shy now mostly calm, her wings folded against her sides. But her golden eyes still held urgency in them.  
"What's wrong?" Ganondorf asked, Ren looking around at him. They wore matching frowns.  
"She's too panicked," Ren told him, "She's not able to tell me." Ganondorf strode forward and placed a hand on Shy's muzzle, turning her to look him in the eye.  
"Talk to us, Shy." He ordered, his voice firm and commanding, but still surprisingly gentle. The dragon leaned forward, her forehead pressing to his, showing him everything that she had seen and felt. He stumbled backwards, not even looking at Ren as he then turned and marched to the stables to get his horse. Ren looked from Shy to Ganondorf before rushing after him.  
"Hey!" She yelled, "What's going on?"  
"The meelvice are after Nim." Ren's blood ran cold.  
 _"What?"_ She hurried her step, "Why would they be after her?"  
"Because she's not Hylian."  
"Thanks for confirming that for me, she doesn't really look like she is."  
"She's something that shouldn't exist."  
"What?"  
"They should have gone extinct a long time ago. But she's still here. And now the meelvice are after her."  
"What is she?"  
"Halfarigayar Ralia." Ren frowned.  
"That explains why you call her Ralia sometimes… What does it mean?"  
"Dragon Child." Ganondorf went about saddling his horse, Ren moving to do the same for hers.  
"And what's that?"  
"One of her parents is a dragon, the other one is a hylian. She's a mix. Half and half. She shouldn't exist. Why they want her, I don't know. But from what happened at Hyrule Castle Town and now this? They want her. Her specifically. Most likely because of what she is."  
"How long have you known?"  
"Since not long after I met her."  
"Who else knows?"  
"It was meant to be no one. But evidently the meelvice managed to figure it out."  
"What about Raven?"  
"If that cheap bastard knew about this and sold her out, then there is no where on this planet that he can hide from me." Ren had never seen Ganondorf like this, and it scared her a little. She was more than prepared to admit it. This was the part of him that they were trying to stop from coming out. If this part of him became who he was, then everything that she and Nim were trying to stop would come true. All their work would be for nothing. Ganondorf didn't even bother waiting for her to be ready to go before he mounted his horse and charged from the stables. Ren hurried what she was doing before racing after him, Shy taking to the sky to try to reach the clearing before they did so she could help, try and save Nim. If they weren't already too late.

* * *

Ganondorf slid from his horse, looking on in horror at the charred remains of the cottage, flames still flickering in places, licking at the remains of the beams. For a moment he couldn't breathe. He hoped like hell that Nim wasn't going to be in there as he moved his horse over to the river, knowing how tired it would be, then moving over to investigate the remains. Ren was not too far behind him. She stopped her horse, a similar expression on her face as on Ganondorf's.  
"Shit…" She slid from her horse before following his example, heading over to the remnants. Shy was standing over an unconscious form, one that Ren recognised as Link. Ganondorf completely ignored him for a moment, kicking down the door and stepping inside. He looked around for a moment before deciding that Nim wasn't there. Then he moved over to Shy, who stepped back as Ganondorf approached, allowing him to get to Link. The boy was only just starting to regain consciousness when Ganondorf grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him clean off the ground.  
"Where is Nim?" He demanded, his voice cold, menacing, proving him to be everything that Zelda thought he was. Ren hurried over to him, resting a hand on his arm.  
"If she was dead then she'd be here," She told him, "He won't be able to talk if you choke him." Link was, indeed, struggling to breathe, and Ganondorf dumped him on the ground with a scowl. He folded his arms as he watched the boy struggle to stand.  
"Where. Is. My. Sister." Ganondorf demanded.  
"I don't know," Link managed to get out, "They took her. Burned her house down. Knocked me out. It was too fast." A vein in Ganondorf's neck started popping as he clenched his jaw, a danger sign if there ever was one.  
"Ganon…" Ren warned, and he turned and marched back towards the water's edge, picking up a stone and throwing it into the water, hard, startling the horses.  
"I swear, if anything has happened to her…!" He spun to glare at Link, who slowly stumbled to his feet.  
"I'll be as pissed at me as you are," Link told him, "She's my friend." Ganondorf growled, turning his back on Link. The boy was worthless. He'd let Nim get taken. He should be grateful that Ganondorf didn't kill him where he stood. Ren sighed, quietly, turning to face Shy.  
"Can you find her?" She asked the dragon, who paused for a moment, then slowly changed shape into a young woman with hair almost as vibrant red as Nim's and eyes as black as coal, wearing a white dress that fell to about the knees, a brown belt around her waist, and her feet were bare.  
"I should be able to. It won't be easy, though. The scent will be fading fast." Link stared at the woman in shock. She turned her dark eyes on Link, blinking them slowly. If Ren had been in a better mood she would have laughed.  
"Have you never seen a dragon change before?" Shy asked, plain and simple. Link shook his head, still dumbfounded, unsure of what to say or do. Shy shook her head and started walking.  
"Nim needs better company, I swear. You and the king excluded, of course." She assured Ren, throwing a quick smile in the girl's direction. Ren half smiled back, though she could see how worried Shy was. That dragon had been with Nim for as long as she or Ganondorf could remember. Ren looked around at Ganodorf, who was still seeming to struggle to keep his temper in check, and walked over to him. Link glanced from Shy to Ren, then decided sticking with the dragon who didn't like him was better than being around the guy destined to destroy Hyrule, who also really wanted to kill him at that moment. More than usual. Ren reached up and placed a hand on Ganondorf's arm, looking up at him with worried eyes.  
"Are you alright?" She asked, Ganondorf shaking his head, still staring off into the distance.  
"When I first met her, I promised her that I'd protect her. Now she's who knows where, having who knows what done to her."  
"We'll find her."  
"Will we?" Now he looked down at her, his golden eyes filled with concern and guilt, "Before or after they kill her?" Ren didn't know how to answer that. She didn't want to lie to the guy, and she honestly didn't know, but she wanted to comfort him.  
"She's tough, she's smart, it'll be before they kill her. She can look after herself for a bit. You trained her good." A sigh escaped the big man.  
"But was it good enough?" Again, Ren didn't know how to respond. Ganondorf knew this, and just gave her a small smile, then held his hand out to her, which she took silently, and escourted her to her horse, helping her get onto it before he went and mounted his own, then together they headed after Shy and Link. Ren knew this was going to be a long trip, what with how much and how obviously Ganondorf and the pesky green kid hated each other.

* * *

 **What's this? An update?**

 **Yes. Sorry it's short...**


End file.
